No.1 Bootcamp review

We review an exercise-fueled bootcamp stay....

Arrival

I arrived on Saturday afternoon and I was greeted by Gina (Camp Manager) who was very friendly and welcoming. She showed me what room I was staying in and gave me a brief run down of what would happen for the rest of the day. I had time to unpack and have a look around whilst waiting for all the other guests to arrive. We had a group briefing with the trainers and Gina and it suddenly dawned on me how tough my stay at No.1 Bootcamp was going to be! However, I was excited to get started. After the briefing we each weighed in and had our measurements recorded. The data recorded was very in depth and the trainers gave a brief summary of what they were going to focus on and made sure that everything was clear.

Accommodation

Accomodation

There are various accommodation options. You can stay in a room on your own, share with 1 person or a group. There is accommodation in the main house and also in the converted barn. I stayed in the barn in a room on my own and I shared a bathroom. The room was really nice with a comfy bed and enough wardrobe and drawer space to unpack all my stuff. The bathroom was modern with a good powerful shower which was much needed after a day of full on exercise!

A typical day

Each day at bootcamp followed a military-timed format and after dinner the following days itinerary was written on the chalkboard.

The day started at 7:15am, meeting in the main house for a pre-workout snack (1 date and 3 hazelnuts). We then lined up for parade outside and waited for the trainers and for our day to begin!After the days training had finished we had about an hour to get showered and changed for dinner. Dinner was served at 6pm and camp rules are that you must be clean for dinner and no phones were allowed during meal times – which was nice as it gave everyone a chance to talk. After dinner, the rest of the evening was ours. Many people opted to go to bed and others, including myself, chose to have a couple of hours in the communal lounge area. The lounge had really comfy, big sofas, a TV and a lovely log fire! We relaxed with our green tea and watched TV and chatted about our day and got to know everyone. The evenings were something I always looked forward to.

Exercise

Throughout every session the music played a big part! This uplifting helped to keep everyone upbeat and really motivated! The trainers were all very experienced and were firm but fair. They were very encouraging and it was great to get some praise if they could see you were giving the sessions your all. The importance of having the correct form whilst executing the exercises was paramount to the trainers and we were encouraged to focus on this rather than rushing though any of the exercises.

The training was a mixture of; circuit training, boxing sessions, HIIT, spinning, bodyweight sessions, gym work at Motiv8 gym, meta training, beach training and hiking.Each afternoon ended with a long hike to stretch our worn out achy muscles. This came as a welcomed relief to the intense training but was equally exhausting to manage to put one leg in front of the other. The days exercise ended with a stretching session once we returned to camp. This session was vital to avoid any muscles aches the following day.

Food/drink

All food was referred to as fuel and it was made very clear to us that we needed to fuel our bodies for the amount of exercise we were going to be put through. The trainers stressed to us the importance of eating everything on our plates and that no food should be shared. Calories were restricted to 1200 calories a day (1400 for men).Although the portions seemed small after a tough training session, the food was always delicious and actually very satisfying.

Overall

To be honest, the idea of going to bootcamp terrified me. I was stuck in a bit of a rut with food and exercise and and I felt I needed a bit of a kick up the bum. But I was terrified. However, being in such an intense environment with people and sharing the same experience really makes you feel like you are part of a big family and I soon settled in.The trainers and camp manager were very professional and you could tell they absolutely loved their jobs and their passion and enthusiasm shone through every day. They were always extra happy to help in anyway and to answer any questions anyone had.My stay at No.1 Bootcamp and the encouragement from the staff have rekindled my love for health and fitness and given me the tools and knowledge to continue my journey at home. I would absolutely love to return and would highly recommend No.1 Bootcamp!